December 13th, 2016 Super Moon

This year, the full moons of October, November and December all take place when the moon is at its closest point of approach in its orbit around Earth — a so-called supermoon.

The third and final installment of this supermoon trifecta will be on Tuesday, Dec. 13. The moon will reach peak fullness at 7:05 p.m. EST (0005 GMT on Dec. 14), but it will appear full to the casual observer the night before and after the main event. The online Virtual Telescope Project will host a webcastfeaturing live views of the supermoon starting at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) on Dec. 13.

December's full moon falls on the same night as the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, and unfortunately for skywatchers, that will mean poor meteor-viewing conditions. The light of the full moon will reduce visibility "five to ten fold," according to a statement from NASA. Under those conditions, skywatchers will likely see fewer than a dozen Geminids per hour.